Costa Rica

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Humans have been in Costa Rica since between 7,000 and 10,000 BC. Various indigenous peoples lived in the territory before it was colonized by Spain in the 16th century. Costa Rica was a peripheral colony of the Spanish Empire until independence in 1821 as part of the First Mexican Empire, followed by membership in the Federal Republic of Central America in 1823, from which it formally declared independence in 1847. The country underwent gradual modernization under relatively stable authoritarian rule until the late 19th century, when it promulgated a liberal constitution and held the first free and fair national election in Central America. Following a brief civil war in 1948, Costa Rica adopted its current constitution in 1949, which granted universal suffrage, provided various social, economic, and educational guarantees for all citizens, and permanently abolished the army, becoming one of the few sovereign nations without a standing military.

In Their Own Story

In 2014, Costa Rica entered a group with three former World Cup champions: Uruguay, Italy, and England. They finished first in the group, a stunning achievement. During the round of 16 against Greece, the match ended 1–1 after extra time. Keylor Navas saved more than 15 shots, and Costa Rica won 5–3 via a penalty shoot-out. They reached the quarter-finals for the first time but were defeated by the Netherlands, also in a penalty shoot-out (3–4) after a scoreless draw on 5 July. Both their 2018 and 2022 World Cup campaigns ended in a fourth place group stage exit, with their only points coming from a 2–2 draw against Switzerland in 2018 and a 1–0 win over Japan in 2022.

Reader's Guide

Costa Rica is a presidential republic with a robust and stable democracy. About one-fourth of the national budget is spent on education—which has been free and compulsory since 1886—equal to about 6.2% of the country's GDP, compared to a global average of 3.8%; the economy, once heavily dependent on agriculture, has diversified to include finance, corporate services for foreign companies, pharmaceuticals, and ecotourism. Costa Rica has consistently performed favorably in the Human Development Index (HDI), placing 62nd globally, and fifth in Latin America, in 2023. Costa Rica is classified by the World Bank as a high-income economy and is the only OECD country in Central America and the Caribbean.

Did You Know?

• Costa Rica is one of the few sovereign nations without a standing military, having permanently abolished the army in 1949.
• The name 'Costa Rica' means 'rich coast' in Spanish, possibly first applied by Christopher Columbus in 1502.
• Costa Rica has one of the highest literacy rates in the Americas.
• The country spends about 6.2% of its GDP on education, compared to a global average of 3.8%.